Hieron Ousts Hawn, Eyes Askren in Bellator

A 10th consecutive victory came by the narrowest of margins for
Jay
Hieron.

Hieron took a razor-thin split decision from the previously
unbeaten Rick Hawn to
win the Bellator Fighting Championships Season 4 welterweight
tournament at
Bellator 43 on Saturday at the First Council Casino in Newkirk,
Okla. Two of the three cageside judges -- Jim Lambert and Gary
Ritter -- saw it 29-28 for Hieron. A third, Jason Greenwalt, cast a
dissenting 29-28 score in Hawn’s favor.

Though he spent much of the fight circling and backpedaling in the
face of a relentlessly advancing Hawn, Hieron countered beautifully
throughout the competitive 15-minute affair. He utilized a variety
of strikes -- jabs, leg kicks and spinning back kicks among them --
to offset Hawn’s aggression.

Rounds one and three appeared fairly clear cut in terms of scoring,
with Hieron taking the first and Hawn capturing the third. Round
two was far more difficult to call, as Hawn stalked and landed and
Hieron countered as he came forward.

Hawn, a 2004 Olympian in judo, finished the stronger of the two. He
wobbled Hieron with a clubbing right hand, met him with a series of
stiff left jabs and attacked the legs with opportunistic kicks in
the third round. Still, his excellent work was not enough to sway
the scorecards fully in his favor.

Baker Pops Riggs, Then Pops
Question

K.
Mills

Baker (right) throttled Riggs.

A brutal left hook from
WEC import Bryan Baker
spoiled the promotional debut of Joe Riggs and
brought a decisive conclusion to their featured middleweight
matchup 3:53 into the second round.

Action was sparse between the two 185-pounders in the first round,
outside of some counterpunching from Riggs and two flying knees
from Baker. They picked up the pace in round two, as Baker drew the
UFC veteran into the clinch, where he softened up Riggs with
knees to the body and legs. Ultimately, they separated and
exchanged. Baker landed with authority, as he dropped his foe with
the left and hovered above him for a few awkward seconds until
referee Jason Herzog saw Riggs was in no condition to continue.

“That’s exactly what I was looking for -- to get in, finish and
show my greatness,” said Baker, a 25-year-old judo black belt who
has won nine of his last 10 fights.

Afterward, Baker dropped to a knee and proposed to his girlfriend.
She said yes.

Beebe Guillotine Finishes Vega

K.
Mills

Beebe (bottom) caught Vega.

Former WEC champion Chase Beebe
qualified for the forthcoming Bellator Season 5 bantamweight
tournament, as he submitted Jose Vega with
a first-round guillotine choke. Vega met his demise 4:06 into round
one.

The two bantamweights traded takedowns and spent much of their time
engaging one another in the clinch. Beebe tried two standing
guillotines earlier in the fight, and Vega freed himself without
much of a problem. Later, as they grappled against the cage, Beebe
landed another choke, dragged Vega to the ground, arched his hips
and finished him there.

“He threw me off,” said Beebe, who has rattled off four consecutive
victories. “He was a lot tougher than I
anticipated. I’m just happy I got to finish it.”

K.
Mills

Sparks (top) submitted Lucero.

Unbeaten Sparks Submits Lucero

Hulking undefeated heavyweight Ron Sparks
submitted journeyman Vince Lucero
with a first-round keylock in a featured matchup between two beefy
big men. The end came 2:18 into round one.

Sparks chopped down Lucero with a series of thudding low kicks, the
last of which put the
International Fight League veteran on his back. He moved to
side control without much resistance, isolated Lucero’s arm and
cinched the keylock. His face contorted by visible pain, Lucero
surrendered.